The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball team opened the 2021 season with a 92-76 East Coast Conference victory over Molloy College in Rockville Centre in the season opener for both teams.

Playing their first game since March 8th of 2020 - their ECC Tournament Championship win over Bridgeport - the Spartans burst from the gate with the game's first seven points, with Grant Singleton posting four and Kevin Lynch adding the rest. Molloy found its legs with a 19-4 explosion to grab an early 19-11 advantage and expanded that margin to 26-16 before STAC roared back. An 11-1 answer from the visitors knotted the score at 27-27 and a pair of last-minute free throws from Singleton staked the Spartans to a 37-35 intermission edge.

Displaying their trademark ability to put up points in a hurry, Singleton was the standout as STAC reeled off a 32-14 run in a span of just under eight minutes, expanding the cushion to 69-49. Each time the Lions looked for momentum the Spartans had a quick answer, expanding that margin to as many as 24 in the final minutes.

Singleton was dominant with a game-high 27 points, with Demetre Roberts adding 15 and Lynch and Jamal Barnes recording 11 apiece. Darren Fergus had the hot hand for Molloy with 18 points, while James Montgomery had a strong night with 17 to go with a game-high 15 rebounds.

The Spartans play their Aquinas Hall opener this weekend in a two-game set against Mercy College on Saturday and Sunday, February 6 and 7, with both games slated for a 2:00 pm start.